American exceptionalism
Cranes & Access|November 2020
In our last issue, we looked in detail at what it takes for cranes to travel easily on European roads. Manufacturers strive to include as much counterweight as possible within 12 tonne axle loads – 16.5 tonnes in some markets – while working within national permit restrictions, taking note of tighter restrictions in some major cities. While this may be a point of irritation for crane owners and designers, it is nothing compared to the challenges facing their North America counterparts. Will North reports.
American exceptionalism

Travelling across the vastness of North America has always been a challenge. While driving a crane on the highway is no Oregon Trail, it remains a consistently tough journey for a mobile crane. Over half of the cranes in this class will need to be equipped with trailing booms. The US road network has multiple layers of federal, state and local municipality regulations, so crane owners try to configure the crane for the most stringent restrictions along the route. When operating in their regional market, they may still face two to three different sets of state/local regulations.

This story is from the November 2020 edition of Cranes & Access.

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This story is from the November 2020 edition of Cranes & Access.

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